After seven years at welterweight, Marcus Davis will drop to the lightweight division for his next UFC appearance.

Davis today made the news official with MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) and said he made the decision after the realization that his frame is better suited for 155 pounds.

And with retirement a serious consideration at this point in his career, Davis (17-7 MMA, 9-5 UFC) plans to remain in the new weight class until he calls it quits on a once-unlikely MMA career.

“I’m going to finish out my career at 155 and try to entertain some people along the way before my old ass retires,” he said. “I like the opportunities that present themselves.”

“The Irish Hand Grenade” said opponents such as Sam Stout, Spencer Fisher and Dennis Siver are among the opportunities he’s eyeing, though he has yet to accept his next booking.

While Davis has maintained a winning record and amassed some impressive highlights in his four-year tenure with the UFC, “The Ultimate Fighter 2″ veteran admits he’s been running at a disadvantage from the get-go against taller and heavier opponents.

At 5-foot-10, Davis said he’s at a reach disadvantage every time he fights.

“I think the UFC has me at a 70 (inch reach), and I think they do that because they feel bad for me,” he said. “My reach is 69 (inches). That’s got to be the worst reach at 170. Every fight that I’ve had in the past year and a half, I think the closest (opponent) to my reach has been six inches longer than my reach.”

That gap was more than obvious in his most recent appearance. Davis fought Nate Diaz at UFC 118 and took sustained damage as he struggled to get inside the fighter’s long and lanky arms. Diaz eventually cinched a submission in the final minute of the 15-minute fight that ended the bout and put Davis to sleep.

After years of bulking up to as high as 205 pounds in order to compete with opponents who cut from the high 100s, he’s slimmed to 175 pounds and thinks he’ll pick up speed against lighter opponents. In fact, Davis, who initially struggled in MMA due to his limited ground skills, competed as light as 132 pounds during a pro-boxing career that ended 10 years ago with a 17-1-2 record.

“That’s where I’m normally and naturally going to be, so that’s where I’m going to fight right now,” he said of the 155-pound lightweight division. “It does make more sense that I should be able to compete better at that weight for the fact that the weight difference isn’t going to be so dramatic.”

Davis currently has two fights remaining on his UFC contract and said he’ll decide afterward whether to continue his career.

“I’ve got to win two fights,” the 37-year-old former pro boxer said. “If I make 155, and I win two fights, and I feel like the new Marcus Davis, then we sit down and sign a new contract. But I will say this: I will not be 40 years old and fighting. I just can’t.”

An outspoken and sometimes polarizing figure among hardcore fans, Davis almost expects to be criticized for his move. But he’s also realistic about his chances in the new division.

“I’m not going to blow smoke up anybody’s ass and say I’m going to be this phenomenal 155-pound fighter and I’m going to be a champion,” he said. “I know that I’m a 37-year-old guy who’s basically got the body of a 55-year-old guy, and I’ve got a face that likes to open when you look at it wrong. Those are things that I’m always going to battle as a fighter.

“But this drop and being able to do it might help me a little bit more than staying at 170 pounds. I look at it like this is where my body is telling me to go, and this is what’s the healthiest decision for me. I’m going to do it, and I’m going to try to do it the best I can.”

With the clock ticking on his time in the fight game, the most important thing is putting on good performances.

“Some people just outright can’t stand me and hate me … but when it comes down to it, I come to fight,” he said. “I know that I’m out there to entertain. You know that my fights are going to have blood – it’s going to be my blood – but there is going to be blood. I’m going to get hurt, and somebody else might get hurt.

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.